


Responsibility

by SeafoamGalaxy



Series: The Crystal Geodes [2]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gem Egg Hell, Gemlings, Gen, Kindergarten (Steven Universe), Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-18 01:15:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28609677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeafoamGalaxy/pseuds/SeafoamGalaxy
Summary: The Crystal Gems welcome three new members into the world.
Relationships: Lapis Lazuli & Peridot (Steven Universe)
Series: The Crystal Geodes [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2096409
Comments: 3
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

It was hard to deny that Lapis was curious about Peridot’s frequent and predictable disappearances, regardless of how aloof and unconcerned she acted about the topic. She had never so much as acknowledged that she had noticed, let alone actually asked about it. Where Peridot went while she was away from the barn was her business. But it was hard not to wonder silently to herself just what her roommate was constantly sneaking away to do on such a regular basis.

Surely if she were to learn the truth, it would be because Peridot decided to tell her. She had never considered that she might find out entirely by chance.

Though water still inspired a feeling of trepidation within her, the sky held just as much allure for Lapis as it ever had. Perhaps even more so now that she could fly freely over the world, watching the landscape change beneath her. Every part of Earth was unique, whether the differences were subtle or dramatic. Simply flying and observing it all from high above was her favourite way to unwind when her thoughts simply wouldn’t quiet down.

She usually avoided Gem structures on these relaxing flights; they were too reminiscent of her unhappy past. Today, however, she was so lost in her own thoughts that she barely noticed the landscape growing more barren beneath her or the bare cliffs rising from the ground ahead. It was not until a sudden beam of light interrupted her thoughts that she snapped back to reality to realize that she was approaching the Kindergarten.

Lapis promptly tilted her body in midair and swerved away, intending to return home, but she had barely changed direction before she realized the light had been a warp beam. Curiosity overcame distaste and she completed a full 360 degree turn in midair, beating her water wings a few times to speed herself onward before the mystery visitor could disappear from sight. If the Crystal Gems had a mission here maybe she could help out.

She glided over the clifftops, squinting down in search of movement. It wasn’t long before she spotted a familiar pale green figure with a triangular hairstyle navigating her way through the canyon below.

“Peridot?” Lapis beat her wings harder and brought herself to a sudden halt. For a moment she hovered there, keeping herself aloft as she watched her roommate stride along purposefully. She had a destination in mind; that much was clear. But where? And why was she here of all places?

Lapis made a decision and swooped lower, using the cliffs for cover as she curiously watched and followed. Peridot did not look up; she was completely focused on her destination, which soon proved to be an unused section of the Kindergarten just beyond the final few exit holes. There she stopped, deposited the bundle in her arms onto the ground, and straightened up to rest a hand against the rocky wall.

Lapis hesitated for only a moment before soaring down into the canyon. As she descended quietly the murmur of Peridot’s voice reached her. “How are you doing in there?” she was asking softly as she ran her hand over the wall. “Are you getting enough minerals? I know Garnet told me she was careful that the spot she chose wasn’t too depleted, but I still worry…”

Lapis landed almost silently a short distance behind Peridot. Her eyes flickered down to the bundle on the ground, which seemed to consist of blankets with one of Steven’s walkie-talkies poking out from between them, then up to the cliff. It had been hard to tell from the sky, but up close she could see that the wall here was visibly damaged; a deep spiderweb of cracks covered the cliffside, emanating out from three evenly spaced rough circles at chest height that had clearly been carved out and replaced. Lapis’ confusion only increased the more she saw here.

She may as well get some answers now. There was no point pretending not to care any more. “Peridot?”

Instantly Peridot tensed and swung around, a look of alarm on her face. “Lapis! What are you doing here? I-I can explain!”

“Can you?” Lapis’ eyes drifted uncomprehendingly over the scene once more before returning to Peridot. “Then please do, because I don’t understand what’s going on here. Is this where you keep disappearing to every few days? Is this some Homeworld project you’ve been maintaining?”

“No, I…” Peridot’s shoulders slumped and she let out a reluctant sigh. If Lapis thought she was continuing a project for Homeworld behind the Crystal Gems’ backs, she had no choice but to explain the truth. “No. It’s not for Homeworld. Actually… it’s the reason I joined the Crystal Gems. Homeworld would never tolerate this.”

She sank down on the ground, her back against the cliff, and patted the space beside her. A moment later Lapis was joining her. She wrapped her arms around her knees and gave Peridot a piercing look. “What’s this about?”

Peridot rested her head back against the wall, her expression resigned. “When the ship first crashed on this planet and I ended up alone, my whole focus was on getting back to Homeworld. Back then I was a menace to Steven and the Gems. I tried to fix and reactivate any Gem tech I could find, I interfered with Earth’s tech to boost my signal, and at one point I even set a trap because I realized they were tracking me somehow. They were getting closer and closer to capturing me and I just knew I’d be spending the rest of my life in a bubble when they did. But then… I found out I was carrying.”

“Carrying what?“ Lapis questioned, clearly not understanding.

“Carrying geodes. In Earth terms, I was pregnant.”

“You were-!” The blue Gem’s words trailed off mid-sentence, leaving her mouth silently hanging open, as realization and shock sank in. Not once had she ever thought about what happened elsewhere during the time she was trapped at the bottom of the ocean with Jasper, nor how Peridot had come to join the Crystal Gems. They simply didn’t discuss the less-than-pleasant time for which they had known each other before they became friends. Learning exactly what Peridot had gone through before they met again at the barn left her struck speechless.

Peridot absently ran a hand over her abdomen and nodded. “I’d been so focused on getting back to Homeworld that I just brushed off the side-effects I was having as a stress reaction. It wasn’t until I started showing that I figured it out. Immediately I stopped all my attempts to contact Homeworld and went into hiding. The last thing I needed was for the Crystal Gems to find out. I thought for sure I could find some information in an old archive somewhere to get me through it. But I searched for months with my screen and couldn’t find a trace of it. By the time I went into labour, I was desperate and realized I needed help.”

“That’s when the Crystal Gems found you?” Lapis asked in a hushed voice.

“I let them track me. Right here, to the Kindergarten. Steven said they’d have mercy if I really needed help, but I was afraid. I wanted to at least be able to unleash some fusion experiments on them if they attacked.”

She shook her head, a faint smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. “Of course, they didn’t. They took me back to the Temple, helped me deliver, and implanted my geodes right here while I was recovering. I knew I could never go back to Homeworld, and there was really nowhere my children would be safe… but if the Crystal Gems were on my side, they’d at least be a little bit safer. So I agreed to join them. And the rest is history.”

Lapis returned her gaze to the wall behind their backs. Suddenly all the pieces of the puzzle were falling into place. “You’ve been coming here to visit them.”

“At least once a week,” Peridot agreed. “More often recently. It’s been almost five months. They’re due to emerge any day now and I want to be here to see them when they do.”

“You’re going to be a parent.” The thought was almost dizzying. Lapis had never even been aware that she had met any Gem who had carried geodes until five minutes ago, but suddenly she had to contend with the knowledge that her roommate had gone through it. Any day now the barn would be teeming with life and activity. “Why didn’t you tell me about this? If you’re going to raise them in the barn this affects me too.”

“I…” Peridot sighed and looked away. “…Lapis, no matter how much I think about it… I don’t know if I have what it takes to be a parent. I didn’t tell you because… I’ve been planning to give them to the others to raise. You would never have needed to be involved at all.”

For a moment silence fell between them. Peridot was huddled up against the wall, hugging her legs, her expression full of shame and guilt. The more Lapis thought about it, the more she realized just how conflicted her roommate clearly was. Her lack of confidence in her own abilities seemed obvious now that she could understand the signs, from the secrecy surrounding her offspring to the pensive expression Peridot had always worn when she returned from one of her private outings.

Lapis shifted closer and rested her shoulder against Peridot’s. She didn’t know what to say, but the other Gem didn’t need words to understand her gesture. Slowly Peridot leaned her head against Lapis’ shoulder and for a while the two sat together in silence, both contemplating the future of the lives growing within the wall behind them.

Suddenly the canyon seemed to grow brighter, as though the sun had emerged from behind a cloud. When Lapis glanced up, however, she found that they were still sheltered from its light by the high cliffs around them. At almost the same time as she made that realization, Peridot let out a startled squeak and leaped to her feet, her wide eyes fixed upon the wall. “Lapis! Look!”

Lapis turned quickly, pushing herself up on her knees for a better view. The cracks covering the canyon wall were glowing, casting thin strips of light over the ground and Peridot’s startled face. The light intensified for a moment before fading to nothing and leaving the canyon darker than before. Less than a second later another pulse of light came, this time from the next space along.

Peridot dived for the bundle and scrabbled wildly through it, scattering blankets across the ground. A moment later she had emerged with the walkie-talkie clutched tightly in her hand. Her trembling fingers fumbled with the power switch and pushed it up with a click, to which two of the geodes responded with an even brighter pulse of light.

“Steven!” Peridot squeaked into the device, her voice shaking as much as her hands. “Everyone! Can you hear me? You need to come to the Kindergarten right now! It’s finally happening! The geodes are trying to form!”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The triplets are finally born.

The trio of lights had pulsed several times more by the time Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, and Steven arrived on the scene. Peridot had not looked away from the cliffside once, her eyes darting between the spots where each geode was incubating as its light emanated through the cracks. Each time the glow lasted longer before fading back to darkness.

Lapis had retreated from the cliffside, unwilling to be in the way, but she looked over as the four sets of hurried footsteps indicated the Crystal Gems’ arrival. “Hey.”

“Lapis! You came to watch too?” Steven was about to run to her when Garnet’s hand on his shoulder brought him to a stop. He glanced up at her in confusion, realizing as he did that Pearl had stopped Amethyst in the same manner.

“Don’t get too close,” Garnet told him quietly. “Peridot needs to handle most of this herself.”

Lapis glanced between the fusion and the cliffside before stepping closer to Steven. If everybody else was staying back, that was even more reason to get out of the way. “I just happened to be here at the time. Peridot only just told me about all of this less than an hour ago.”

“She did?” Steven looked slightly disappointed in the green Gem. “But you two are such good friends!”

Lapis shrugged, unwilling to divulge the reasons Peridot had admitted to her. She turned her eyes back on the rock wall as the light shone out again.

Steven looked completely enchanted as he watched the young Gems attempting to form. It reminded him somewhat of the Cluster, except in this case it was completely safe for them to accomplish their goal. “You can do it!” he encouraged. “I believe in you! Do you think they can hear us?” he added, glancing up at Garnet.

“Yes, Steven. I’m sure they can.”

“They’re really almost here,” Pearl whispered, her voice muffled by the hand covering her mouth. She looked conflicted, almost as though she was fighting the temptation to turn and walk away. “All this time… I didn’t completely believe…”

Amethyst cast a slightly uncomfortable glance over at Garnet before turning her focus to Pearl. “You okay, P?”

Pearl blinked and glanced down at her, then up to Garnet as she placed a comforting hand on the slender Gem’s shoulder. She drew a deep breath to compose herself and forced a smile. “Yes, I’m fine. This isn’t about me. This is about Peridot’s-“

“One of them is coming!” Peridot interrupted excitedly, clearly having not listened to a word of the discussion behind her. Steven was giving Pearl a worried look, but quickly he turned to watch what was happening. The middle geode’s glow was now steady and powerful, shining strongly through the cracks in the wall and casting deep shadows everywhere its light failed to reach.

A loud crack of splitting rock rent the silence and an explosion of stone fragments and dust filled the air. Steven instinctively shielded his eyes but Peridot didn’t even blink, trusting her visor to protect her face. All of her attention was on the small silhouette she could faintly see moving within the cloud of dust. She watched, enraptured, as it tottered to the edge of the new hole it had created in the wall. It began to fall and in an instant she had darted forward and caught it in her arms before it could hit the ground.

She felt warm. That was the first thought that occurred to Peridot as she stood there, her arms wrapped securely around the newly emerged Gem. As the dust settled she found herself staring in disbelief at her first daughter. She was so tiny, Peridot was certain she would stand no taller than her knees. Her entire daffodil-yellow body was clad from neck to ankles in a matching jumpsuit, with only a small hole over her chest for a golden rhomboid gem that appeared oversized on her tiny form. Pale green eyes blinked dazedly out from beneath an untidy mop of flaxen hair as the little creature wriggled, testing out her new limbs and trying to make sense of the world around her.

Her eyes found Peridot and she settled down instantly. At once Peridot felt as though time had stopped. The rest of the universe could have ceased to exist at that moment and she would not have noticed. The only thing that mattered was the small Gem in her arms. For a seemingly endless moment mother and daughter simply stared at each other, each pair of eyes taking in every single detail of the other’s face, as though memorizing every last contour was the most important thing either of them would ever do.

“That’s a baby.” Amethyst’s voice broke through Peridot’s thoughts and she drew a shuddering breath as she came back to reality, feeling too dazed to do anything but cling more tightly to her daughter.

“She looks more like a toddler,” Steven mused out loud. He had crept slightly closer, curiously examining the newly emerged Gem. “She’s so yellow, isn’t she? Except her eyes. She’s got your eyes, Peridot!”

“No,” Amethyst broke in, sounding agitated. “You don’t get it. That’s a _baby_. Gems don’t come out looking like that!”

“They do when they’re born from geodes.” There was a slight tremor in Pearl’s voice, but she forced it into a more steady tone as she continued. “You were implanted by an Injector, Amethyst. Injected Gems are specifically created to emerge fully mature, knowing everything they need to do their jobs and ready to begin work. The only downside is that they take centuries to incubate, but Homeworld much prefers that over needing to devote resources to raising and educating each group of newly emerged Gems. Gems born from geodes are blank slates. They don’t even understand speech at first.”

“They’re like me when I was born,” Steven commented in wonder.

The little Gem turned her head toward the voices, emitting a curious chirruping sound. Peridot felt her metaphorical heart melting and adjusted her grip to cradle the baby more comfortably. It was as though all of her reservations had vanished the moment she met this tiny being’s gaze. Suddenly she had never cared more about anything in her thousands of years of life.

“The next one is coming,” Garnet stated.

The pair of lights still glowing within the cliffside had gone almost unnoticed by Peridot until then, when she suddenly realized another had stabilized. This time it was the leftmost geode which was preparing to take form. Almost without thinking she shifted her daughter to one hip, using her own body to shield her from the imminent rain of debris.

The rock exploded outward and the first baby squeaked in alarm at the noise, but Peridot was already rushing forward to catch the second as she tottered on unsteady legs out of her exit hole. Almost immediately a chill ran up her spine and she had to fight the urge to drop her second child. From the dark stripes that marred her otherwise green skin, to the thickness of her build, to the distinctive kite-shaped gem set into her bicep, it was immediately clear that this one took more after Jasper.

The baby let out a whine of distress, squirming to shield her eyes from the dust and the irregular bursts of light her still-forming sister was emitting. The sound had no effect on Peridot, who slowly sank to her knees to gently deposit her second daughter upon one of the now-dusty blankets. The expression on her face made Steven move closer and crouch down before her. “Peridot? Are you okay?”

“She looks like Jasper.” Peridot turned her head away from the whining baby and suppressed a shiver. “I don’t know if I can…”

Steven glanced between her troubled expression and the young Gem, who was struggling to roll over. “I know Jasper isn’t exactly nice, but it’s not your baby’s fault that she looks like her. She didn’t know you’d be upset. She’s too young to understand. Just give her a chance, please, Peridot?”

“Look into her eyes,” Garnet instructed quietly. “If you don’t feel a bond we’ll take her for you.”

Peridot released a slow breath and nodded reluctantly. “… Okay.” Her hand slipped beneath the squirming Gem and lifted her into her lap again. The baby whined once more before finally forcing her golden eyes open. Without warning Peridot found herself caught up in the spell once again, completely oblivious to everything around her as she gazed into her daughter’s eyes.

A small smile lingered on Garnet’s lips. “There was no possible way that wouldn’t work,” she said in response to Steven’s amazed look.

“How did it work? Why do they stare at each other like that?”

“Imprinting.” Pearl was the one to respond again, her expression unreadable as she watched Peridot and her new daughter. “A newly emerged Gem born from a geode will imprint on the first person she sees. If that person is a Gem who has carried geodes before, it works both ways. I expect that’s another reason why bearing geodes is forbidden. It’s improper for any Gem other than a Pearl to imprint. It’s beneath them.”

Steven had just opened his mouth to ask another question when Lapis suddenly lunged forward. The third light had stabilized but Peridot was still lost in the grasp of a long-buried instinct, too focused on her second daughter to notice anything else. At once another explosion split through the stillness in the canyon as the final newborn broke her way into open air. She toppled out of her exit hole and into Lapis’ waiting arms with a squeak of protest.

This one looked just like Peridot, Lapis couldn’t help but notice as she straightened up. Her jumpsuit was forest green but the little hands, feet, and face poking out beyond it were a significantly lighter shade, almost perfectly matching her mother. Her hair was a puff of chartreuse yellow that Lapis could easily imagine styled into a triangle. She found herself smiling at the tiny Gem’s cuteness as she turned to offer her to Peridot. Her gem was on the back of her head, she noticed, a familiar green triangle that was just barely visible within her fluffy hair. “Got any lap space free for this one?”

Peridot blinked and finally tore her gaze away from her second child. But just as she looked up to see the newest arrival, the youngest Gem twisted around to investigate the source of the voice and found Lapis. At once her squirming ceased and she stared in wonder at the blue Gem, her eyes wide and her mouth slightly open.

“Oh no, Lapis…” Pearl gasped.

In response Lapis glanced up at her, uncomfortably aware of what was happening. This wasn’t what she had intended to do. “Can I make her stop? Peridot, take her, please.”

But the moment Peridot relieved Lapis of her burden, the newborn made a noise of distress and reached out to the blue Gem. She stretched up as far as she could but her fingers grasped nothing but empty air. That seemed to upset her even more and she started to cry, pushing at the arm that Peridot had wrapped around her to hold her still.

“I think she wants to go back to you,” Steven pointed out. Now that all three babies had emerged he had come closer again, crouching down beside Peridot for a better look at the newborn trio.

“It’s too late to stop the imprinting,” Garnet added as she came to join the gathering. “As far as she’s concerned, you’re her parent. She’ll grow out of her dependency on you in time, but for now she’ll be most comfortable with you.”

Lapis knelt down beside Peridot and extended a hand. Immediately the newborn grabbed her finger and held on tightly, ignoring her attempts to gently tug it out of her grip again. The blue Gem sighed. “I’m not your parent. She’s right here. Don’t you see the resemblance?”

The baby’s only response was a happy chirp. Lapis glanced up and met Peridot’s gaze, her expression apologetic. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make her look at me first.”

“I should be the one saying sorry,” Peridot responded quietly. “You didn’t even know about them until an hour ago. Now one of them is attached to you.” She glanced away, toward Garnet. “Is it going to hurt her if she’s not raised by the person she-?”

Her sentence trailed off when she felt the baby being lifted out of her arms. Lapis held her up, examining her once again, and gave a reluctant smile. “She’s kind of cute, really. She looks a lot like you. I’m just glad that green Jasper didn’t imprint on me.”

She adjusted her grip so that she was cradling the infant in her arms. “Hey there. I’m Lapis Lazuli. I don’t know how to raise baby Gems like you, but I’ll try to do my best. You’ll just have to forgive me if I mess up, all right?”

“Lapis,” Garnet said quietly, “you don’t have to do this. We can take her. If she’s raised away from you, she should eventually forget you and learn to depend on her caretakers instead.”

Lapis glanced from her to Peridot, who was still watching her anxiously. Her arms were securely encircling the other two babies. If Lapis hadn’t yet completely made up her mind to try, the sight strengthened her resolve. She couldn’t split this family up. “Maybe, but I think Peridot wants to raise the other two herself. The three of them should all grow up together. I might need a lot of advice, but I want to try. It shouldn’t be much different from just helping out. Right?”

“Lapis…” Peridot whispered tearfully. The toddlers in her lap squeaked in protest as her arms tightened around them, pressing them close to her chest. “I’m sorry to put you in this position-“

“Don’t be. If I didn’t want to be involved I could just move out, like Garnet said.” Lapis shifted closer to Peridot and settled the baby in her lap so that all three were next to each other. She flashed the green Gem a smile. “I guess we’re parents now.”

Garnet had finally come forward and bent to pick up one of the discarded blankets. “You’re going to be great parents,” she assured them as she dusted it off. “I don’t need future vision to see that. Now, let’s get these three home.”

She crouched down and held the blanket open for Lapis, who placed the tiny green Gem within it and began to wrap her up securely. Steven hurried to fetch another blanket and Amethyst soon joined in, leaving Pearl standing on her own. She watched for a moment longer before turning to walk away without a word.

By the time the trio of newly emerged Gems were bundled up warmly, all three were beginning to look quite relaxed and sleepy. Peridot gently brushed back some of the striped Gem’s fluffy hair as she closed her eyes, small hands clinging to the edge of the blanket as she succumbed to sleep. “I guess Gems born from geodes need to sleep.”

Amethyst crouched down beside Lapis for a closer look at the baby curled up in her arms. “Their gems look too big for them. Shouldn’t they have _more_ energy than us?”

“Oh, they will,” Garnet commented with a smile. “Right now they’re comfortable and relaxed. Their instinct is to rest. Until they begin to learn from mature Gems, instinct is all they have.”

Steven was gazing intently at the sleeping triplets, his expression contemplative. At once he seemed to come to a decision. “Garnet, can Peridot and Lapis stay at the house for a while? Until they’re used to looking after babies?”

Peridot sat up straighter, a slightly offended frown on her face. “Don’t you think we’ll be able to handle it?”

“Of course you will! You’re gonna do great. But right now this is all new to you. You might need some extra help to start with. And some time to baby-proof the barn,” he added as an afterthought. “And if you feel like it’s too much and you need a break, we’ll be right there to watch them until you feel better.”

Lapis hummed thoughtfully. “That doesn’t sound like a bad idea. Is there space for the five of us?”

“I’ll find you some. They can even have my bed if they need it!”

Peridot glanced uncertainly at Garnet, who smiled in response. “It’s Steven’s decision. I don’t have any complaints.”

“Me neither,” Amethyst added. “Pearl might have something to say, though…”

Garnet rose to her feet and glanced over to where Pearl had been. A frown creased her lips when she noticed that the other Gem was already gone. “I’ll talk to Pearl. Let’s head back and get the children settled in.”

Lapis stood and Steven offered a hand to Peridot, who struggled to accept his help without dropping one of the young Gems in her arms. When Amethyst held out her arms to take one Peridot only shook her head. She was determined to prove that she could handle both of them, no matter how difficult it might be.

Before long the group was on their way back to the warp pad with Steven bounding ahead excitedly, eager to begin preparing his home for the new arrivals. Life was certainly going to be more interesting from now on.


End file.
